The problem with just about every virtual desktop implementation is just that - they're virtual. This means that beyond the ability to move windows to specific desktops, you're still looking at exactly the same desktop, no matter what virtual desktop number you switched to. A mockup for GNOME Shell is trying to take the virtual out of virtual desktop.

Of course, as awesome as KDE is, it's usually so awesome that you don't have a clue about a large portion of what's there and what it can do. There are probably dozens of great shortcuts that I haven't stumbled on yet, let alone full-blown features that I don't have a clue exists.

Indeed. I still try KDE4 almost every month just plain because I don't like giving up easily, I love all the smooth animations and such, but I always end up going back to GNOME because everything is so unintuitive :/

Oh well, I don't want to transform this into a KDE4 vs GNOME fight here, everyone has their own tastes and opinions.

As for the article in question: I tried GNOME-Shell out earlier today and it sure manages to make using virtual desktops a lot easier and actually approachable even by newcomers, and this mockup is quite a good idea in that it transforms into much more than just a shell for selecting the current virtual desktop. Though, I still personally most likely won't be using them, I've never liked virtual desktops